Mangalore: Connoisseur's delight - Century-old Aloyseum gets a facelift
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (VM)
With Inputs from John Monteiro
Mangalore, Mar 23: The renovated ‘Aloyseum’, a century old museum which is a treasure trove of antique artifacts was inaugurated by Fr Joseph Rodrigues, outgoing rector at the popularly called 'red building' of St Aloysius College here on Saturday March 23.
Speaking on the occasion, Fr Swebert D’Silva, principal of the College said that the collection was rehabilitated in the red building in 1995 under the leadership of Fr Prashanth Madtha, the then principal.
In connection to the restoration work which started last year, the College had sent an appeal to the central government for funds and in response it received Rs 25 lac. The project cost came up to around Rs 75-80 lac and was supported by several donors, said Fr Swebert, thanking them in his address. He also thanked renovation consultants, Noel Pinto and his son, Vinod.
"The idea of this treasure trove is to make this as a museum of Mangalore depicting the culture here, as the museum exhibits various antiques like utensils, musical instruments and other things used by the people of the region. In view of this, the museum is set to be renamed Mangalore Museum," said Fr Swebert
The museum is a very good opportunity for the youngsters in the city to know things which they have not seen earlier, he added.
Fr Leo D’Souza, director, lab of applied biology said that people who visit the museum get astounded to see the objects exhibited here. "People think that a museum has dead items that cannot be used but in fact life would not have been possible without these things. It is a good opportunity for youngsters and is also an educational experience," he said.
He dwelt on the variety and age of the exhibits, specially referring to the Stone Age implements. He recalled how he was in Germany when the Berlin Wall was pulled down and how a piece of that wall collected by him is now hosted in the museum. Fr D’ Souza said the museum, with its large collection of traditional household/ kitchen implements, not common in present-day households, should be grandmothers’ delight. He said that for the young, who are the main visitors to the museum, it should not only be a visual experience but provoke thought and learning.
Speaking to Daijiworld, Gopal Gowda, incharge of the museum said the renovation work was started in last April, however, during restoration of the objects in the museum the red building was not altered as it has a history dating back to a century. The objects in the museum were given by old students, priests and by other donors," he said.
Listing out the various exhibits, he said the museum has De Deon automobile which was the first car to land in the city. The car being purchased by the late P F Saldanha was donated to the museum by the family in the year 1956. The museum also has a generator dating back to the year 1915, first Jazz band of the city donated by Prof Bennet Pinto, a comprehensive collection of Albuquerque tiles by George Albuquerque and very valuable and antique musical instruments and cameras by Ray and Joy Saldanha, and several others.
Apart from these, the museum exhibits a giant whale fish bone, a writing pad which is 150 years old, gramophones, radio, harmonium, distillation plant, rice pounder, Gumathu, copper vessels, ecordian, skeletons, daggers, bullets, dried fruits, old wall clock from Germany and various others which have a history over 100 years.
Fr Walter Andrade, Fr Denzil Lobo, AIMIT director, Dr A M Narahari, registrar, vice-principals Ronald Pinto, Judith Pinto, John D’Silva among others were present.
A brief history:
On September 9, 2002, an Air Commodore, visiting Aloyseum, wrote in the visitors’ register: “A good collection and lots of material for display. A bigger building may be thought of to improve upon the layout. In India our museums are full of rare articles comparable to the best museums of the world. Display is what makes the difference. I am sure in years to come this would be one of the best museums of the country.”
On January 17, 2013, a priest from Odisha, wrote in the same register: “I am really enriched by seeing the wonderful collection of artefacts, paintings, stones and fossils of great cultural importance and historical memories, beautiful, almost alive, statue of Mahatma at the entrance and great collection to remember the bygone cultural stages and past history. Hearty congratulations for the neat, clean and orderly placement of objects and for the restructuring of the museum.”
The credit for inviting the last comment goes to the persistent and creative work of renovation, done between the two aforesaid comments, under the leadership Fr Swebert D’Silva, principal, St Aloysius College and Michael J M Cutinha, the museum curator.
The history of this nomadic museum is given below. Throughout its history of 100 years, its curators and other authorities concerned have been conscious of its inadequacies in presentation due to lack of display place. The authorities are very conscious that even with great improvements through the latest innovation efforts, for the proper display of its treasures, Aloyseum calls for more space and better spread-out and lighting of the exhibits. This is not to detract from the excellent work done under the leadership of Fr Swebert and the close involvement of Fr (Dr) Leo D’Souza, director, lab of applied biology. Now some highlights of the origin and progress of Aloyseum.
The college museum, felicitously named Aloyseum, is tucked away in a building at the west end of the original campus (Its name plate reads “Science Block; but is popularly called Red Building), is a treasure trove of antique artefacts , some of which date back to the Stone Age.
On a campus with expanding student population, it has been a challenge to find apace for classes and student activities. With the result, the college museum has been tossed around the campus like a yo–yo. The museum had a humble beginning in the Red Building in 1913. But the centurion tag comes from what the museum hosts. Its nucleus was of items brought from Italy by Fr Chiappi. He brought minerals and herbarium and a collection of Roman coins and commemorative medals. Some of them were gifts from Collegio Vieta, Italy. It is interesting to note that the Jesuits, specially the earlier expatriates, had been travelling widely and collecting antiques and artefacts which added to the museum collection.
In 1927, Fr Prosperio, Rector, provided a hall for the museum. In 1944, the museum was shifted to Chettur’s Bungalow at the eastern end to the campus. Incidentally, the starting of natural science courses in the college in 1943 gave a boost to the museum. In 1947, it shifted again – this time to English Hall. In 1955, when Fr Albert Saldanha was the Rector, he got the museum rearranged in New Extension.
The next move came in 1995 when the then Principal of the college, Fr Prashant Madtha, initiated action to rehabilitate the collection in a new setting. So, the museum completed a full circle going back to the Red Building where it had taken birth 82 years earlier. Prof Gilbert Sequeira, head of department of History and curator of the museum, with assistance from a college staff member, Alphonse Pereira, reorganised the display at the new location. The name, Aloyseum, was coined by Prof R Victor, head of the department of English.
Listing out the various exhibits here can be a space guzzling exercise. One of the more visible exhibits is a De Deon automobile, the first to land in Mangalore. It was imported by P F X Saldanha of Highland Coffee Works fame. When it landed in Mangalore in 1906, it attracted large inquisitive spectators wherever it went. But, it didn’t venture out much because of scarcity of petrol. As there were no petrol stations in Mangalore then, the liquid had to be brought from Madras in 10- gallon drums and under special license. In 1907, when Governor of Madras, Sir Arthur Lawley, visited Mangalore, the De Deon was lent to the Governor’s party to take his two daughters to Karkala to see Gomateshwara. The Governor wrote to Saldanha thanking for the favour. This single-cylinder, 8 / 10 hp car had a maximum speed of 19 miles. It had an open top; but in 1920 it was fitted with a hood over the front seats. It was gifted to the college in 1956, without its engine which was given to a planter, ten years earlier, who pressed for it very hard.
The exhibits in Aloyseum include animal and fish bones, skulls, horns and skins, copies of paintings by old European masters, mineral specimen, old radios, telegraphic equipment, antique telephone sets, manuscripts on palm leaves, Portuguese statues, an old pulpit from Cordel Church, swords, daggers and other weapons, postal stamps, coins and medals and Mangalore’s first electric generator dating back to 1930.
Incidentally many showcases themselves fall in the class of antiques. While one showcase displays priestly vestments dating back to 1878, the Old Missal, displayed alongside, which has the size of a broad sheet newspaper and could weigh several kilos. Being close to the centre of the city, Aloyseum is an attractive destination for the discerning tourists and art connoisseurs. At Rs 5 entrance fee, it is a steal. But, one should set aside at least one hour to do justice to Aloyseum.